Karabağlar Urban Square Competition

Karabağlar, İzmir, 2017

The area which is the subject of the competition has a critical position in the borders of Vatan neighborhood, at the intersection of the other important neighborhoods and close to

the important transportation arteries. The area is located 10 minutes' walk from rail transportation and İnönü street, which is the city's main artery. İnönü Boulevard, which provides

access to the southern neighborhoods of the district, constitutes the western border of the project area. In addition, the social and commercial focal points where the human density

is high, such as the market place serving the surrounding neighborhoods and the İhsan Alyanak Sports Hall, are also on the border of the project area. In the central neighborhoods

where many new housing stocks are available, it is undeniable that there is a well-defined and fictional public open space for the gathering.

Housing sites around the project site have difficulty in linking with the rest of the neighborhood with secure entrances and high gates. These sites are considered to be the only open

car park in the limited garden areas where only the inhabitants can enter. It should be ensured that this square, which will meet the need of open space and gathering area of the

people living in this region, is easily accessible from these sites. According to the scenarios of walking, public transport or car transportation, attention has been paid to the

positioning of the square, car park entrance, social and sports areas in the project area.

According to the pedestrian transportation scenario, pedestrians coming from the east and south directions are expected to enter the area by boulevard and pedestrians coming

from the north and west directions by passing the bazaar.

Considering the existing land conditions, the layout of the open areas was designed. In the project area topography, slopes, elevated elevations at the northern and eastern

extremities and dry river beds are noteworthy. Another element that attracts more attention in aerial photographs is the footpaths formed by the footprints of pedestrians passing

over time. These axes, which show that pedestrians often come from the area in the east and north-south directions, form a base where pedestrian behavior can be observed in the

open spaces designed here.